Rebuilding a 1968 Triumph Herald. (2 Viewers)

[Neil Bedwin]

Many years ago my wife was single and her brother suggested she bought a nice car to help her meet people. I think he meant by going to shows etc, I think because it kept breaking down! Anyway, she met me, didn't need the car anymore, as I came with one, so she gave the car to her brother. He kept it for over 10 years and didn't really do much with it. Jump forward to May this year and we collect it back with a view to getting it road worthy again and use it in our retirement as a weekend car......

I found the boot outrigger needed replacement so while I was there I might as well replace the shock absorbers, replace the diff pinion seal and paint the chassis. There was a little plating of the chassis to do as well - I jacked the rear end up and was looking for somewhere to put my axle stand when the jack sunk into the chassis rails! That's all been done now and the rear brakes have been cleaned and the drums painted. So it's time to put the rear body back on and move onto the front end. I have a complete set of braking components and shock absorbers for there. Then I can finally get to the body work......

It's not really a hobby but will keep me occupied for the next month or so

 

[Neil Bedwin]

You really wouldn't want that holding the boot on with the potholes in todays roads!

 

[PP Bear]

You need my skills as a panel beater, as I’m pretty handy with a rivet gun

Here’s one I did last week.

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[Terry]

That’s a Vitesse loved mine, it was also the first car I lost money on as I parked it up (after snapping half shaft) and kids got into it slashing roof etc

 

[Neil Bedwin]

That’s a Vitesse loved mine, it was also the first car I lost money on as I parked it up (after snapping half shaft) and kids got into it slashing roof etc

Unfortunately not. It's got a Vitesse bonnet but underneath is a plain old 13/60......

 

[Neil Bedwin]

You need my skills as a panel beater, as I’m pretty handy with a rivet gun

Here’s one I did last week.

View attachment 765125

If only it was a Landrover! A man good with a rivetter would be very useful.

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[Terry]

Unfortunately not. It's got a Vitesse bonnet but underneath is a plain old 13/60......

It’s also a convertible so not so plain
Enjoy

 

[chaser]

This is Julie's, the a35 is mine.

 

[Brianmor]

I loved the fact that if you ran out of petrol you just went to the boot and turned a lever to the reserve tank

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[Chasnam]

When I was about 19 Irode a Honda 250 and had a herald driver turn across me , luckily saw it coming and laid the bike down and slid into him sideways, me and the bike just bounced of the front wheel .
The herald front suspension collapsed , me and the bike got away with a few scratches .
Chasnam

 

[Figaro]

My first car was a 1964 1.2 Herald my dad suggested was a good car.
Biggest load or rot.
There was more polyfiller and newspaper stuffed on the chassis and outriggers than steel.
The rear wheels were set at a strange angle allowing the rear end to bounce around corners.
I lusted after a GT6 but that never happened unfortunately.
Then I found Fords and saved up for a 1.6 E mk 2 Cortina. I really thought I'd arrived then, lol

Good luck with your project

 

[Gooney]

i was an apprentice in a Standard Triumph dealership when the herald was launched, we took delivery of a pre launch model and my mechanic and me did a pre delivery check on it, whilst doing a road test on it the mechanic hit a mound of sand along the promenade.
When we got back to the garage the car was checked over and on initial checks there didn’t appear to be any damage, but…. The body work specialist noticed what transpired to be the chassis was twisted.
I assisted in the fitting of a new chassis before the car had even been launched, it neve even made it into the showroom

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[gpat]

I started on the 13/60 convertible that I bought from a friend. I got the body off and the outriggers done. Then I struggled to get the body back on straight (despite jigging all the outriggers). It also had a dodgy gearbox and the inners wings and boot floor were totally rotten. I kind of lost interest as I was overwhelmed. Years passed. We even moved house twice and had to take it with us.

One day a fella knocked on my door and asked if I would sell it. he was a professional panel beater and did old cars on the side on an evening. I gave it to him and didn't take any money. He invited me down to his garage a couple of weeks later. What a difference, he had a massive workshop and he had basically completed gutted it again. He said my welding on the outriggers was Ok for a learner but he cut the buggers off and did them again. A month later he drove by in it and called in. It was immaculate.

 

[Two on Tour]

Then I found Fords and saved up for a 1.6 E mk 2 Cortina. I really thought I'd arrived then, lol

Mine was in Saluki Bronze.

 

[icantremember]

I lusted after a GT6 but that never happened unfortunately.

Great little cars and so easy to maintain .. this was mine I bought new in 1973 .........

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[TheBig1]

I cut my teeth on fixing my Dad's heralds and vittese cars. Cheap to buy and run but terribly put together, every one of them. Simple and very basic engineering that rotted out very quickly. At one point we had three. Two of them with rotted chassis and used as donor parts to keep the third one running. You could swap out the engine in an hour and a half. Just unclip the entire front clamshell bonnet and everything was accessible

Many ended up as donors for early kit cars before that swapped to ford escorts

 

[Revolvor]

That’s a Vitesse loved mine, it was also the first car I lost money on as I parked it up (after snapping half shaft) and kids got into it slashing roof etc

I was lucky to have a £500 Premium Bond win when I was 18 and used it to buy a nearly new Vitesse off a friend of mine. I loved mine too. The engine had been updated with bigger twin carbs and a gas flowed head. I also fitted a modified rear suspension to prevent the rear wheels "tucking under"
Like you, I broke a few half shafts and also needed a new gearbox, as the drive components were not up to the power from the engine.

 

[Charlie57]

Great little cars and so easy to maintain .. this was mine I bought new in 1973 .........
View attachment 765163

Spitfire on steroids, hard top and 2 litre straight 6 lovely better than a Stag IMHO

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[donkey]

Mine was in Saluki Bronze.

I too had a Saluki Bronze Mk2 with a tan vinyl roof

Geoff

 

[Terry]

Spitfire on steroids, hard top and 2 litre straight 6 lovely better than a Stag IMHO

You may think it was better but the Stag looked lovely

 

[pappajohn]

As kids we had an old Herald in the forest.
Loads of fun when one of the rear tiebars ripped out of the chassis.
Accelerate and the rear would swing one way, decelerate and it swung the other way.
Who's daft idea was it to fit a transverse rear spring

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[Gooney]

i was an apprentice in a Standard Triumph dealership when the herald was launched, we took delivery of a pre launch model and my mechanic and me did a pre delivery check on it, whilst doing a road test on it the mechanic hit a mound of sand along the promenade.
When we got back to the garage the car was checked over and on initial checks there didn’t appear to be any damage, but…. The body work specialist noticed what transpired to be the chassis was twisted.
I assisted in the fitting of a new chassis before the car had even been launched, it neve even made it into the showroom

I forgot to mention, when we placed the new chassis on 4 oil drums in readiness to lift the body onto it, the chassis was bowing in the middle, it needed the body bolting to it to strengthen it

 

[Neil Bedwin]

Started on the front...... new shocks, brake discs, caliper, pads and flexible hose. Took nearly 4 hours so the other side I will do tomorrow.

 

[bigwood]

A guy that served his army apprenticeship with me inherited his mums Triumph Herald when he passed his test. It came to a bad end when he discovered the problem of rear suspension tucking in on a roundabout.
Not a car for an inexperienced driver that tried to beat the land speed record showing off to his mates.

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[bigwood]

Just to add to my last regarding Triumphs. I bought my fathers 1965 MG Midget when I moved to Germany and another ex apprentice bought a TR6.
I killed the MG on the Autobahns but the TR6 lasted quite a long time. The bigger engine was better suited to the Autobahns I suppose.

 

[Bailey58]

This was mine, summer of 73.

 

[seasideBill]

I forgot to mention, when we placed the new chassis on 4 oil drums in readiness to lift the body onto it, the chassis was bowing in the middle, it needed the body bolting to it to strengthen it

I recall on my TR6, if you jacked it up on the chassis you couldn’t open the doors.

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[seasideBill]

You may think it was better but the Stag looked lovely

Chalk & cheese

 

[Revolvor]

This was mine.

 

[Viennese]

Several Heralds, Vitesses and GT6s where I live, one bloke has 3, another drives his Herald (to work?) every day

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